Fireproof protective legging



Nov. 4 1924.,

J. SEAZHOLTZ ET AL FIREFROOF PR OTECTIVE LEGGING Filed Dec. 6. 1923 2 SheetsSheet l INVENTORS. J'o itn, Sea5h01%5" an fi, mzcxaa sgm M ATTORNEYS.

Nov. 4 1924. 1,513,936

J. SEAZHOLTZ ET AL FIREPROOF PROTECTIVE LEGGING Filed Dec. 6, 1923 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Nov. 4, 1924.

JOHN SEAZHOLTZ AND MIQHEAL BILANCIA, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY.

FIREPROOF PROTECTIVE LEGGING.

Application filed December 6, 1923.

Z '0 all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN Snaznourz and MIOIIEAL BILANOIA, both citizens of the United States, residing at Newark, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Iniproveinents in Fireproof Protective Legging; and we do'hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appcrtains to make and use the same, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings, and to charactors of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates, generally, to improvements in a fireroof protective legging for metal moult ers and similar artisans; and the invention has for its principal object to provide a novel construction of legging made of asbestos material, so shaped and constructed that the same may be easily and quickly put on over the. ordinary clothes of the wearer, and which, when so worn, serves to adequately protect the leg, thigh and hip of the workman against spillings and splashings of molten metal handled by the latter during casting or similar operations.

Another object of this invention is to provide a logging which by virtue of its novel shape andconstruction not only provides adequate protection but is of such character as not to interfere with or impede the movements of the workman when carrying on his work.

The invention also has for its further objects to provide various detail improvements in the fastening and supporting means for the novel legging, as well as in the general construction and make up of the same.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accon'ipanying drawings, in which:-

Figure 1 is a pictorial view of a workman clothed in the novel construction of fireproof protective legging made according to and embodying the principles of this invention; Figure 2 is an outer side elevation of the novel legging; Figure 3 is a front elevation of the same; Figure 4-. is an inner side View of the logging opened up so that the same may be put on or taken oli? the leg of the workman; Figure 5 is an inner side view of the legging closed; Figure 6 is a fragmentary vertical section, on an enlarged scale, taken on line 66 in Figure t; Figure Serial No. 678,972.

7 is a fragmentary transverse section, taken on line 7-7 in Figure 6; Figure 8 is a fragmentary transverse section drawn on an enlarged scale, taken on line 8-8 in Figure 1; Figure 9 is a fragmentary transverse section drawn on an enlarged scale. taken on line 9-9 in Figure 4; Figure 10 is a vertical cross section on an enlarged scale, taken through the bottom strap of the legging; Figure 11 is a perspective view of the metal protector plate which is attached to the underside of the bottom strap; and Figure 12 is a fragmentary vertical section on an enlarged scale, taken on line 12-12 in Fi ure 1.

imilar characters of reference are employed in all of the hereinabove described views, to indicate corres onding parts.

Referring now to said rawings, the reference character 13 indicates the com ilcte legging made according to and embodying the principles of this invention. The body of the legging is made of a suitable tire-proof or non-combustible material, such. for example, as asbestos cloth. The legging comriscs an upper, permanently closed, cylinrical section 14 which is adapted, when worn, to encircle the thigh of the wearer from the knee upward. Suitably and permanently affixed to the lower end of section 14 is a lower section 15, the connection of said sections 14 and 15 being preferably effected by sewing the parts together end to end by the stitching 16. Said lower section is discontinuous throughout its length on the inner side thereof, so that the same may be opened up to permit the passage of the foot of the wearer therothrough, and thus is provided on the inner side with over-lapping or meeting longitudinal free edgcvortion 17 and 18. The edge portion 1 is the interior edge-portion and the edge ortion 18 is the exterior edge portion. a aid lower section 15 tapers toward its lower extremity to conform more or less to the diminishing contours of the lower leg of the wearer, and the lower extremity of said section 15 terminates, at its front side, in a forwardly extending flared portion forming a gaiter portion 19 to extend over and cover the instep and foot of the wearer. Suitably and permanently affixed to the upper end of the section 14 is an upward extension or flap to form a hip-protector portion 20. The connection of said section 14 and said hipprotector portion 20 is preferably efiected by 7 strips 22 and 23, preferably made of textile material, such as canvas or the like, or of leather or any other strong flexible material.

The lower leg portion of section 15 is further reenforced and strengthened, and secured against sagging or undue wrinkling, by means of a light fiat steel strip 24, which is placed so as to extend longitudinally from the lower end at one side of said section 15 upward to the knee. Said steel strip 24 is secured in place by cover strip 25 of textile or other suitable material, which is fastened to the section 15 by lines of stitching extending parallel to and along each side of the steel strip 24. The said steel strip 24 is held against longitudinal displacement by pocket members 26 which are respectively stitched to the body of the section 15, so as to receive and enclose respectively the upper and lower ends of said steel strip. In like manner, said section 15 is additionally reinforced and secured against sagging or un due wrinkling, bymeans of a second fiat steel strip 27 disposed to extend along the inner side of the exterior free longitudinal edge portion 18, the same being secured in place by a cover strip 28 of textile or other suitable material.

Suitable fastening devices 29, having their cooperative parts suitably secured to the respective free longitudinal edge portions 17 and 18 of the section 15, are provided in order to hold the said section 15 of the legging closed about the lower leg and foot of the wearer, when said legging is worn.

In order to hold the legging down around the leg, and to guard against the lower end of the same working up and thus uncovering the foot of the wearer, a bottom strap 30 is provided, which is attached to one side of the bottom marginal portions of the legging so as to cross .under bottom of the instep of the foot of the wearer, the free end of the strap 30 being adapted to be operatively held by a buckle device 31 which is secured to the opposite bottom marginal portion of the legging. In order to prevent charring and consequent weakening of the strap 30 by reason of contact thereof with particles.

of hot metal upon which the wearer may step, the outer or under side of the strap is covered by a protector strip or shoe 32 preferably made of sheet metal, and fastened to the strap by rivets 33, or any other suitable fastening means.

The means for supporting the legging upon the person of the wearer comprises :1

suspension strap 34 which is secured to the upper free end of said hip-protector portion 20 so as to extend longitudinally upward therefrom. The reference character 35 indicates a hook member, to the base of which is connected a buckle 36 with which the free end of the suspension strap 34 may be ad justably fastened to couple the hook member 35 thereto. lVhen the legging is placed upon the leg of the wearer, the hook member 35 is engaged, over the belt supporting the ordinary trousers of the workmen, or, if no belt is worn, over the waist-band of the trousers, thus suspending the legging and holding the same up in operative position to properly enclose the leg and cover the hip of the wearer. The legging thus supported allows for perfect freedom of leg movement by the wearer, and yet is comfortable while being securely. held in operative relation to the wearers leg. The suspension strap 34 being adjustable, through the buckle connection 36, relative to the hook member 35, the support of the legging may be easily regulated or adjusted according to the height of the wearer or the length of the wearers leg, and so as not to cause undue pulling strains upon the belt or trouser waist-band.

The novel construction of the legging above described is particularly effective for moulders use when carrying on casting operations. It iswell understood that in such work it is required to handle and carry about ladles filled with molten metal, and

- that frequently the metal'slops over from the ladle, and also splashes and s atters about when poured. Under such clrcumstances, burnlng particles of metal fly out against the leg of the workman nearest the ladle, with the result that not only are the clothes scorched and burned, but frequently the workmans leg is painfully and severely burned. Furthermore, the molten metal is often accidentally spilled aainst the leg or 'foot of the workman, there y causing painful and disabling injuries. The present invention provides a fire-proof protective legging which not only covers the lower 1e but the thigh and,l1ip as well, on the si e of the workman adjacent to which the ladle is carried, thus adequately protecting both. the clothes and person of the wearer. The

..novel leg ing is so designed that the provision of e upper closed section and the lower openable section, renders the same very easy of mani ulation in putting the same on and off the eg, and, the novel means of supporting the legging is not only very sim 1e and easy of attachment, but serves to hol the leggin supported in such manner as not to inter ere with either the comfort or the free movement of the wearer.

We are aware that some changes may be made in the various arrangements and combinations of the several devices and parts making up the novel legging, as well as in the details of the construction of the same, without departing from the scope of this invention as set forth in the foregoing specification, and as defined in the appended claims. Hence, we do not limit our invention to the exact arran el nents and combinations of the several evices and parts as described in said specification, nor do we confine ourselves to the exact details of the construction of said parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

We claim 1. A the roof protective legging, comprising a tu ular u )per section, a lower section adjoining sai upper section which is discontinuous on its inner side'to )rovide longitudinal meeting edges, mutua ly cooperative fastening devices at said meeting edges to hold the same closed together, a hip-protector flap adjoining the upper end of said up er section, and a suspension means attac led to the free upper end of said hip-protector flap.

2. A fireroof protective legging, comprising a tu ular u per section, a lower section adjoining sai upper section which is discontinuous on its inner side to provide longitudinal meeting edges, mutually c0- 0 crative fastening devices at said meeting c es to hold the same closed together, a gaiter portion at the lower extremity of said lower section to cover the foot of the wearer, a transverse keeper-strap connected with said gaiter portion to extend under the foot of the wearer, a hip-protector flap adjoining the upperend of said up an section, and a sus ension means attache to the free upper en of said hip-protector.

3. A fireroof protective legging, comprisin a tu ular ijlpper section, a lower section a joining sai upper section which is discontinuous on its inner side to rovide longitudinal meeting edges, inutua ly cooperative fastening devices at said meeting ecges to hold the same closed together, a galter portion at the lower extremity of said lower section to cover the foot of the wearer, a transverse keeper-strap connected with said gaiter portion to extend under the foot of the wearer, a hip-protector flap adjoining the upper end of said up er section, and a suapension means attache to the free upper en of said hip-protector, comprising a supporting strap, a hook-element, and a buckle attached to said hook element with which the free end of said supporting-strap may time adjoining said upper section which is discontinuous on its inner side to provide longitudinal meeting edges, mutually cooperative rastenmg devices at said meeting edges -foot of the wearer, the lower portion of said body being split longitudin 1y to provide longitudinal meeting edges, mutually cooperative fastening devices at said meeting edges to hold the same normally closed together, and a hip-protector flap connected with and extending upwardly from the upper end of said body.

6. A fire-proof protective legging, comprising a tubular body tapering toward its ower end, the lower extremity of said body being flared at its forward side to cover the foot of the wearer, the lower ortion of said body being split longitudina ly to provide longitudinal meeting edges, mutually cooperative fastening devices at said meeting edges to hold the same normally closed together, a hip-protector flap connected with and extending upwardly from the upper end of said body, a suspension means comprisin a supportin strap, and a hook-element with which the rec end of said strap is adjustably connected.

7. A fire-n'oof protective legging, comprising a tu ular body tapering toward its ower end, the lower extremity of said body being flared at its forward side to cover the foot of the wearer, the lower portion of said body being split longitudinally to provide longitudinal meeting edges, mutually cooperative fastening devices at said meeting edges to hold the same normally closed together, longitudinal reenforcing steels arran ed at each side of the lower portion of sai body at the inside surface thereof, means for retaining said steels in position, and a hip-protector flap connected with and extending upwardly from the upper end of said body.

8. A fire-)roof protective legging, comrising a tu ular body tapering toward its ower end, the lower extremity of said body being flared at its forward side to cover the foot of the wearer, the lower ortion of said body being split longitudina ly to provide longitudinal meetin edges, mutually cooperative fastening cevices at said meeting edges to hold the same normally closed together, longitudinal reenforcing steels arranged at each side oi the lower portion of said body at the inside surface thereof, means for retaining said steels in position,

and a hip-protector flap connected with and extending upwardly from the upper end of said body, a suspension means comprising a supporting strap, and a hook-element with which the free end of said strap is adjustably connected.

9. A fire-proof protective legging, comprising a tubular body tapering toward its lower end, the lower extremity of said body being flared at its forward side to cover the foot of the wearer, the lower portion of said body being split longitudinally to provide longitudinal meeting edges, mutually coop-- erative fastening devices at said meeting edges to hold the same normallyolosed together, longitudinal reenforcing steels arranged at each side of the lower portion of said body at the inside surface thereof, means for retaining said steels in position, a hip-protector flap connected with and extending upwardly from the upper end of said body, and a transverse keeper strap connected with thebottom extremity of said lower portion of said body.

10. A fire-proof protective legging, comprising a tubular body tapering toward its lower end, the lower extremity of said body being flared at its forward side to cover the gether, longitudinal reenforcing steels ar-.

ranged at each-side of the lower portion of said body at the inside surface thereof, means. for retaining said steels in position, a hip-protector flap connected with and ex tending upwardly from the upper end of said body, a suspension means comprising a supporting strap, and a hook-element with which the free end of said strap is adjustably connected, and a transverse keeper strap connected with the bottom extremity of said lower portion of said body.

In testimony, that we claim the invention set forth above we have hereunto set our hands this 3rd day of December, 1923.

JOHN SEAZI-IOLTZ. MICHEAL BILANGIA. Witnesses: I

AUG. J. GLESS, EDWARD J. Rules. 

